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I’ve been home a week now. I was so excited to be back in America, I was running through the airport with the biggest smile on my face. I was loving seeing all familiar brands and people and hearing English everywhere. It was exciting to be home. While I was driving home, it almost felt as if I had never left. Everything seems just as familiar as the day I left. I missed it but I didn’t. I got home and went straight over to a friend’s house to say goodbye before she left for Arizona the next day. I got in my car and didn’t even think twice about how to drive or how to get to my friend’s house. Everything came so naturally to me and it feels as if I hardly forgot what everything looks like. I think I was just expecting much more of a shock when I got home.

Alright, so good points since i’ve been home:

I missed being able to talk to everyone. I say hi to literally every person I pass by now, just sooo excited to be able to speak to them and smile at them. It’s great to go into a store and have no problem at all to explain what i’m looking for. People are kind and courteous and generally happy. It’s good to not feel lost walking around or out of place. I’m in my home town, my place of birth. Everything comes naturally and everything makes sense to me.

I missed Mexican food and being able to read labels at stores.

Everything is cheap here, which is also nice on my wallet.

Thing’s I miss about Paris:

Everything.

To be honest, I love the food and the culture there, I love the people, I love the buildings and the way of life. Everything is much more slowed down there and they appreciate life for so much more than American’s do.

I feel as though I have two homes now. Two homes that I really love and feel comfortable in both. I could speak both languages (French only to an extent, but enough to get by with) so I could communicate relatively clearly. I feel caught between two places, in which I love both to a great extent, but I can’t choose between the two of them. It’s a 12 hour flight to Paris on the quickest flight, it’s expensive and I just want to take good things from both places and be able to make my perfect home. I will be back to Paris one day, but right now, i’m feeling really homesick. I am so happy to have had this experience and I can’t even imagine my life before it. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But I don’t know how long I can be tied down here. I want to know what my next adventure is going to be and to have something to look forward to. But I don’t know right now. This year flashed by in the blink of an eye, and I only wish I could live it all over again.

So I know I owe you all two things: pictures from Amsterdam and a brief history lesson on Ireland. You will get both! They’re both on my list. Just writing a short blog tonight.

So it’s finally January! I didn’t think a whole lot about actually leaving up until today. Up until today, I had something to look forward to that wasn’t going home: parents coming, going to Ireland, Christmas, New Years, etc. But now, it’s just going home. I am excited to go home, but I’m not ready to be slumming it in SCV again. I love my life in France. I have almost everything I could ever want here. The only things I really miss from home are my family and being able to have a life outside of Disney. I miss being able to take classes and join clubs and meeting people so easily. If I was here long enough, I could have those things here as well, and maybe one day I will. But for now, I am excited to go home. I just know that after a few months, I will be restless again. I’m starting to close things up like the bank and my gym membership. It is fairly easy for the most part, just a bit stressful. I can’t believe it has been almost a year since I have lived in California. It feels like just last week. This last year has flown by in the blink of an eye and it’s amazing how much France feels like home now. And more specifically Paris. It’s home. I have stories from almost every inch of that city and I can get you anywhere on the metro if you just tell me where you want to go. It’s becoming a reality. I’m going home soon. Mixed feelings.

Well, i’m getting close to the end of my time in France. I had to say goodbye today to one of my very dear friends, Veronica. We’ve known each other since she first got here in July. She has been the one person I could go to with any problem or complaint, and I know she would be there to listen and have insightful feedback on. We used to go to the gym together almost everyday and share stories and memories and advice. I will most certainly miss her, but I know i will see her again soon.

That has by far been the hardest thing to deal with in this job, is constantly saying goodbye to friends. I can’t believe how many people have come and gone in just the few short months I have been here. The hardest thing being neither of us know when we will see each other again. But I suppose that’s life, it just happens in a much shorter amount of time here.

All in all, I am glad to be coming home for a while. I’ve nearly forgotten what it’s like to live in California.

But on to more exciting things, I recently paid a visit to Ireland! It was by FAR thee best trip I have taken since being abroad. The people I met, the things I did, the people, the atmosphere; it was all perfect. It started off a little rough when 3 days before I was scheduled to leave, I came down with a stomach bug after eating some Chinese (still not sure if it was the Chinese or not). I went to the doctors and got some meds which helped, but I was dealing with it the whole time I was in Ireland. Well, the second I got off the plane, the first thing that struck me was the fact that everything was written in Irish first. I didn’t realize Irish was really that big of a language. I assumed that Ireland was just part of the UK and everyone there spoke English. But I quickly learned that Ireland has it’s own language and they are very proud of it. Everything is written in Irish first, and then English beneath. Ireland suffered from imposed language by the English, much like Whales and Scotland did as well. English people are apparently very territorial and believe everyone should be English. I’ll get to a little of the history I learned later. So I walked through the airport and found the bus I needed to take to meet my friend in Dublin. The second I got on the bus, I could just feel a friendly atmosphere, nothing like i’ve felt in Paris. Everyone was, for the most part, very friendly and very helpful. I could not stop smiling the second the bus started driving; from the Irish language everywhere to the cars driving on the left side of the road. It was just so nice to have a change of scene. Everything was so green and IRISH. I was constantly just looking to the beautiful brick buildings everywhere. Finally got to my stop and got off in a big plaza. I went to the nearest starbucks and waited for my friend there, everything on the menu was about 25% cheaper than what it would have been in Paris. I was so happy I got a drink AND something to eat!! Waited there till I got a text and went straight over to meet him crossing the river Liffey. We caught a bus back to his house which looked just like the houses on Picket Drive from Harry Potter! Every house was stone with a little car in front. Everything was just so quaint including his house. After, we headed back to town to get some dinner and head over to his Panto. A Panto is a British style show that surfaces every year at Christmas. There’s many of them all over Ireland and the UK. Panto stands for Pantomime and it’s basically a children’s show for adults. If you want to read more about it, here’s a link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantomime Basically they get local stars and have them star in the Panto’s and the audience yells back at the people on stage. They will say something like, “But cinderella doesn’t have a fairy god mother, does she?” And the whole audience is supposed to yell back, ” Oh yes she does!!” And he’ll say, “Oh no she doesn’t.” Then the audience again, “Oh yes she does!” and so on just for a few rounds. Also, the audience boos the bad guy and cheers the good guy! Basically an interactive show for kids, but with some adult humor. Like in every panto, there is always a boy dressed as a woman. We saw Cinderella, so both the step sisters were boys in RIDICULOUS wigs and costumes. It was such a laugh. The whole show waas great, even though there was a lot of jokes I didn’t get. Oh and they always add in the top songs from that year. It was great fun shouting with all the kids and parents. And my friend danced in the ensemble. After the show, we headed down to the bar in the theatre for a few drinks before we head out. I got to meet all his friends and see where he spends most of his time. Spending the evenings the Irish way!

The next day, we had a bit of a late start. We headed out about 12 to the city. We walked around the city a bit, just taking in the sites. We saw some parks and stores and stuff. The disney store in Dublin was about 100x’s better than the one on the Champs-Elysee. We saw the Christmas markets and everything. Then my friend said he had a surprise for me. We walked across town to a museum. It was only once we were inside he said it was the National Leprechaun Museum. It was SO cool inside! We learned a bunch about leprechauns and just Irish folklore in general. There is TONS of Irish folklore and it is FASCINATING. Today’s leprechaun looks the way it does because Walt Disney made a movie about leprechaun’s and put their leader in green. Then lucky charms came out with their loveable green suited man. Now, people identify them with green. In the museum, there was also a room that was designed to make you feel like you were the size of a Leprechaun. It was SO cool as well. It really worked, I actually felt like a leprechaun.

It was really amazing. We learned a bunch about swans and dogs and stuff, but I can’t remember all the stories. And at the end of the museum visit, we got to take a selfie with Seamus!!

After, we headed back over to the center of town to the center square. A few years ago, Dublin I guess felt that they needed a recognizeable icon to stand for Dublin, so they decided to make a spire that looks like a giant needle sticking out of the face of the city. It’s not a good look I don’t think, and im sure it cost them a fortune. But if it helps, then hey-ho. Here’s what it looks like.

It’s the big pole in the back, you may be able to see it in the other pictures I post later. After this, I wanted to see the oldest oub in all of Dublin, established in 1198!! The Vikings used to drink mead here and things like that. It was very old, but still modern enough looking. Inside, there was a room with just flags on the wall, another with dollar bills and patches from all over the world, another room had a fireplace and letters to the pub, it was a really awesome pub. Me and Keith tried both our very first Guinness there. We both LOVED it!! We thought it was great. Really thick, not something you could just warf down, but I really appreciated it.

After we head over to get some Mexican food…. My FIRST mexican food in MONTHS!!! I didn’t think i’d be craving it this much, but I am. It’s the first thing I want when I get off the plane. Well after that all, we head back over to Keith’s place to go to his local pub. It wasn’t much from the outside, dressed up like some kind of little putting golf, castle looking thing. But inside was BEAUTIFUL and way larger than it looks on the outside. We got another pint of guinness each and waited for his friends to arrive. They were all LOVELY people. All of them seemed very genuine, and happy. They all just appreciated each other’s company and presence and valued what each other had to say. And of course the Irish love to laugh and have a good time so that’s excactly what we did. Keith kept saying, “We’re gonna go have the craic!” on our way to the pub. Craic is an Irish word for basically a laugh and some convo. Google translates it to English as “FUN,” but it’s definetly more than that. But the craic was had. We laughed and talked all night. And many of them want to come to America at some point, and more specifically California. So I’ll probably be seeing all these people soon which I couldn’t be more excited about! We left the pub 5 hours later to get a “chipper” from next door. I got fish and chips. It was so greesy and delicious I could hardly stand it. Just what I needed. :) Then we head home for an early morning the next day.

We got up at the crack of dawn to head over to Keith’s grandparents house to head to Pheonix park. Pheonix park is where the president lives as well as the american ambassador. But it’s also the biggest enclosed park in all of europe. There’s wild deer running around that we could get almost close enough to touch. The just rome free in this park which is just 10 minutes from the city center, and it’s so big, if you stand towards the center, you can’t see the fences. It was great.

We were 15 feet away at one point. After wards, we head back to Keith’s where his grandma made us breakfast and tea and coffee. His whole family were such nice, sweet, genuine people. I could have talked to them for hours. They also liked to, “have the craic.” Great times. After, we headed over to the Guinness factory. We decided it would be fun and it was! Lots of facts and diagrams and stuff that I won’t go into, and they had a bar on the top floor that overlooked all of Dublin called The Gravity Bar. Great view of Dublin, and the best part was, we got to pour our own Guiness! There’s a whole art to it. You pour it 80% of the way, then put it aside to fizz a bit, then top it off about 3 minutes later. I got a certificate and everything that says I know how to pour Guinness. SO HA! One thing that I thought was interesting from the tour, was that Guinness signed a 9000 year lease on the land there. That’s right. 9000 years! Theyve only just hit 230 about. They have quite a bit of time to go. Really fun experience though and got one of m new favorite t-shirts at the end.

Last thing I did in Dublin was have dinner at a place called Nando’s. It’s really famous in the UK, and said to be in America in the next two years. It’s fresh, delicious chicken and America is going to love it!

It’s a really big deal because Californian to Mexican Food is Brit to Nando’s. It’s what they crave when they leave it behind in the UK. After that meal I had to get on a plane and come back to Paris! It was by FAR way too short of a time to be there. I wish I could have stayed a week at least. There was so much to see and do, and I wish I could have seen it. I’m 100% hooked on Ireland, and yes i’m absolutely ruined for life. Nothing will compare to these two days. I have been trying to express in words how great it all was, and I can’t seem to be able to express myself. I didn’t do it justice here, and I don’t think I possibly could. Being there did so much for me though and taught me a lot. I miss it and I will go back one day.

You’re history lesson on Ireland/Dublin will be posted tomorrow as well as some pictures from Amsterdam.

Hello! Again, I am so sorry for slacking so badly! Over the next couple days i’m just going to touch on a few things that have happened over the last couple months. I figured I should try and break it up just so it is a little easier for me.

First off! Went to Amsterdam a few weeks ago and had a marvelous time! What a beautiful city it is! I had no idea it would be so nice and that the people would be so friendly. Right when we got there, we met up with a family friend of Roni’s. He told us some sights to see and when to the best times to see them were. One of the first places we went to was the Anne Frank house. It was really a sight to see. So much history took place in such a small house. The first thing that struck me about the house was it’s absence of furniture and lack of human presence. It simply looked like an empty house. Apparently Otto Frank (Anne Frank’s Father) decided that after the war was over and the Nazi’s were forced to return belongings to the people (the belonging’s that were left anyway), he decided that he would rather leave the house empty as it shows a lack of people where there should be people. It is an homage to the millions of Jews that died from that war. The house did feel empty and eerie from that I think. We were also there at night. The other thing I remember very clearly was right after you go through the bookcase, you are confronted by a staircase that is almost the same slant as a wall. I could not believe how steep the stairs were. We watched little old laddies barely being able to climb the stairs. I found that most of the stairs throughout the whole city were very steep (not as steep as the Anne Frank House stairs, but still.) Very moving to see the original place of so much history.

The next morning we woke up bright and early to see the parade! Sinterklass was doing a parade through the streets of Amsterdam to welcome the start of Christmas! I don’t know a whole lot about this tradition other than kids make lanterns and receive gifts, and the older crowd paints themselves black and hand out candy. Apparently they are Sinterklass’ assistants and go down the chimney to deliver gifts and such. Anyway, it was very cool, they did a boat parade in the morning, and then an actual parade in the afternoon where Sinterklass was on a horse riding through the streets! Roni’s family friend had a daughter that we got to watch the parade with. I think it made it a lot more fun because she was pretty into it with all the candy ‘n all.

Other than that, we mostly just walked around, shopped, took pictures and ate a lot of street food. The street food was INCREDIBLE especially compared to Paris. They have foods of all sorts, from sushi to Mexican food, Hamburgers to crepes, they had it all. It was a great time! Ill be sure to post some pictures. :)

Another phenomenon that has been rattling me lately is that I don’t feel the need to pee myself every time I enter a store now to either order food or a drink or buy clothes or whatnot. I feel confident enough in the language to at least get by with buying what I need to, asking price, sizes, colors, what type of tea, hot or cold; I can get by with that. It feels good to be able to have mini conversations now. I feel like I have a unlocked a secret passage way that I couldn’t go down before and i’m finally getting to explore all it’s nooks and cranny’s. I have finally found my niche hear and learned that I can lead a totally normal life outside of the united states. I can study here, take evening classes, join a gym, learn instruments, etc. I know now for when I come back that everything I can do at home, I can do here.

Today, i also had a nice little conversation with one of the cosmetology girls named Armonie. It is so good to talk to people that don’t know any english. It pushed me much harder, especially when you don’t know the word for something and have to figure it out through other words and phrases. There were quite a few times that we didn’t understand each other today, but we muster through it and just laugh it off because in the end, it’s nothing vital and the whole point is to just have a nice conversation with someone. Though, it is strange to hear myself speak French. I kept asking if I was making any sense and she kept saying yes, but I don’t know how sincere she was being. I thought I sounded like I was just jumbling words together, but somehow she figured it out. I think at this point, I know a lot of little phrases and quite a few words, but I need to take a class again and be forced to write essays and short answers in French that forces me to think through all my thoughts on paper and make them into coherent sentences. Because right now, its jumbled words, messed up grammar and unconjugated verbs… It makes me excited to come home and go back to studying.

Wow, that number of days that I have been here is getting really large. O.o It’s really amazing how long it feels i’ve been here, which I suppose I have…

Anyway, again, sorry for not posting very much. I’m going to make it a point to post more.

So, it’s October! The last few weeks have been really fun. Haven’t done very much other than say bye to a few friends. The problem with working at this place is that everyone leaves within only a few months. But i’ve been lucky to be spending the last few weeks with Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas. We’ve been having a blast meeting people from all over the world, from Holland to England, Italy to Russia, Spain to Japan, and everything in between. It has been incredible to see people’s reactions and connections to the story. Countless people have come up to Jack either speechless or full of excitement just from the site of him. He has recieved so many hugs and gifts from guests. It’s truely been an incredible experience. One French group in particular arrived to see Jack and seemed to just be a fairly standard meet-and-greet. After a few individual photos, a girl with bright orange hair emerged from behind one of her friends and made her way toward Jack. She arrived just next to him. Jack complimented her striped pants as they matched his and she just shook her head yes and then asked if she could give him something. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a bright pink envelope. With trembling hands, she gave it to Jack and asked him to look inside. It was a hand-drawn design of Jack, and then she burst into tears. Well, Jack understood, of course, that she just had a strong connection to his story. But for some reason, Jack wasn’t connecting the French in his brain with his mouth or ears. The girl cried a little and said a few things, but Jack was kind of speechless. In the end, she gave Jack 3 hugs and 3 kisses, and considering no one even gives him one hug usually, it was a moment that just really stood out. That was a moment that i’ll never forget.

I spend a lot of time with a lot of different characters at Disneyland. I was hanging out with Queen of Hearts one day, and this adorable French girl in an Anna dress came out of the crowd to see her. She said a few things and then asked for an autograph with the biggest smile and “S’il vous plaît.” Ever. She was only about 3 or 4, and Queen more than admired her manors. She gave her an autograph and a picture. Then Queen kneeled for a hug and a kiss goodbye. As the little girl was leaving, she didn’t quite turn around all the way, she just kept saying “Trop belle!” and “Votre robe est trés jolie!” Which mean, “too beautiful!” and “You’re dress is very beautiful!” Queen simply couldn’t handle how cute this child was. So they said goodbye and I thought that would be the last time I would ever see her, like most of the kids I see while i’m with the characters. But two days later, I was with Jack and guess who we saw! I told Jack how adorable she was and he was delighted to see her. She was very excited to see Jack as well and greeted him with the same grand smile. They didn’t talk a whole lot, but Jack had the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. She also gave him a hug and a kiss and said goodbye, but of course, Jack was about a fraction of a second away from grabbing her hand and leaving along with the little girl and her mother. They would have had a grand day in the park all together.

Anyways, those are my two soppy stories from this week. It has been a lot of fun to hang out with Jack and I hope I will be with him when my parents come! :)

Otherwise, nothing really happens around here outside of Disney. We’re working on Christmas parade reps. We watched last years online last night and it is about 1/4 the size of the one from Disney California. Needless to say, i’m not that impressed. I’ve decided today that i’m going to start walking around the park after work and writing down things I think need to be fixed or changed or added and take them home with me. Maybe there can be someone I can talk to back in California about how this park is just about being run into the ground. Apparently they have a lot of plans for just after the first of the year, but I will be back home by then. Can’t wait to hear about them at least and maybe come back and see them again one day.

Oh, and I bet you’re all wondering about my French. Well, again, i’m around British people all the time. But I for some reason started talking to one of the French cosmetologists today and we had a good 15 minute conversation today almost completely in French. She was just calm and repeated things I didn’t quite understand. We talked about how no one in all of europe (or so it seems) has there Halloween costume picked out. I told her it’s annoying because Jack keeps asking people and they just answer, “I dunno.” Halloween is in a week. I understand it’s a really English thing, but this is the 21st century. It’s all changing and Halloween has made a debut in France. But still a lot of people don’t celebrate. She said it was because French people not only don’t plan what they’re doing for holidays until 3 days before, but also don’t really like to celebrate holidays. She finds it annoying as well, and I told her it’s just sad because even a holiday like Valentine’s day is blown up and celebrated so much in the United States. We love celebrating and we don’t care who’s watching. We don’t find ourselves “too cool” for celebrating big like the English do. A couple of my English friends have told me that English people think they’re too cool for a lot of things. Including Disney. They said Disney wouldn’t have done well in England because English people are “too cool” for it. But anyways, Halloween’s only really a thing in the states. After that, she complimented my French and thanked me for trying to speak french. She asked me where I was from and everything and I understood her way better than I thought I would. She asked me about my studies and what I did before Disney and I understood her. I could just feel excitement welling up inside me. She thanked me for trying to speak French and not just coming into cosmetology just asking for what I need in English like most of the Brits do. But then, of course, more people in the world know english more than any other language. Chinese has the most first language speakers because China is densely packed, but everyone knows English. She said she understood, but we’re in France and they should try and speak their language. And then I asked for her name at the end; it was “Léo(something)” I couldn’t make it stick in my head it was so French. But really good moment, i’m really grateful that happened. Really made me realize that I know way more French than I give myself credit for.

And sorry (but not actually that sorry) I am using this blog as a diary as well as a way to keep you all informed. So, sorry (but not actually sorry) for the detailed descriptions of everything. :) THANKS

That’s all for now! I’ll keep you updated as it happens! Love you all and see you in 85 days!

I promise that it isn’t that I forget this blog is here, it’s just that I am constantly busy here. Which is good, right?

So, I suppose the last time I wrote was the 15th of August. A lot has changed more or less since then. I’ll just give you the brief version as to not bore you. My roommate, Joe, moved out on August 31st, leaving my vulnerable to receiving a new roommate at any time. Me and Joe got along just great. We had the same schedule and completely respected each others property and sleep. We had tea almost everyday after work with our friends from down the hall, Dannie and Ash. Dannie also unfortunately left at the same time as Joe, leaving both Ash and I slightly uneasy. It may sound exciting to some, to meet someone new and and get to know them over the last few months of my time in Paris. The problem was that, people are showing up on as short as 3 week contracts to work at Disney for a prince that likes to spend a lot of money at Disneyland. He commisions a show every year and Disney hires hundreds of new people just for the couple of months. My fear was that I would be stuck with a roommate for a few weeks, they would leave and I would be hanging from a thread again. I’ve heard too many horror stories with roommates at Pleiades, so I decided to move out. So now I live on my own in my 17 m^2 apartment and I am absolutely loving it.

I started using this grammar book that a friend recommended to just keep up on studying French and it has been an absolute blessing. It’s very helpful and very methodical. I look forward to opening it everyday and reading the lesson. I highly recommend it to anyone who is wanting to learn French.

And that’s what the cover looks like. I don’t know what i’m doing, it’s late.

I just got home from Berlin yesterday! It was an absolutely incredible trip. I saw so many things and just to be in the city was absolutely amazing. My first impression of Berlin/Germany was being completely lost in a place that I didn’t speak a lick of the language. I wandered around for an hour or so with no sign of my friend Miriam anywhere. We finally found each other at the first place I was. The next day, we did quite a lot. We visited the Jewish Museum. That was really interesting. I didn’t realize that there were thousands and thousands of German Jews. I thought most of the Jews were found outside of Germany when Hitler invaded other countries. There is so much history leading up to Germany in the 30’s that was really interesting to learn about in this museum. Most of the time in schools, we just learned about WWII, but never the hundreds and hundreds of things that surrounded the war and caused so many terrible things to happen. I could go into it for hours, but i don’t have the time at the moment. Definetly visit this museum if you have a chance. I thought it was really interesting too that the museum wasn’t a WWII museum; it was literally a “Jewish Museum,” all about their culture and their history. I think the one thing I learned from the museum and from my friend is that Germany really does feel absolutely terrible for their past. Even now, they learn about WWII every year in school. Walking through the museum, my friend hardly read the posters because she already knew so much about the war. And, Germany feels so bad about their countries past, that their lack of nationalism has caused them to not want to wave their flags in their homes. Up until maybe 5-10 years ago, Germans didn’t wave their flags for fear of looking too prideful in their country and be accused of being a neo-natzi. The reason I think this is really sad is because it could have been any country. If Hitler sweet talked his way into control of Austria or Italy or Spain or somewhere else, the blame would have been put on that country. But it wasn’t the country that did it, it was the people in the country at that time. There were many Germans against what happened, but they were simply outnumbered. I also think it makes me angry that they are learning about WWII every year, to teach kids that this shouldn’t happen again. But like I said, it could have been any country. Germany should not have to suffer even now for what happened 70 years ago. Yes it happened and it should be remembered OF COURSE, but why are they living in oppression even now. If Germany has to stress anti-war education, so should other countries. It could be anyone.

After the war museum, we went to the east-side gallery. I got some great photos there of the remaining pieces of the Berlin wall. It was so surreal to be in a place where so much history took place less than 25 years ago. The wall is extremely tall and must have daunted people in their dreams for years. They had some pictures of what it looked like in the 60’s and such. The amount of barbed wire and wooden barriers and such is absolutely incredible. We also saw Checkpoint Charlie, where the Americans, Brits and French had tanks pointed directly at the Soviets, who had tanks pointing straight back. One just waiting for the other to fire. They were like that for 24 hours at one point. If you don’t know the history of Berlin’s east/west situation, look it up. It is absolutely fascinating. We walked a little on the east side of Berlin, which is still a somewhat poor, run-down area. It’s a bizarre city really. But up and coming. They are still trying to redistribute the wealth among the east and west side I believe, as well as trying to make the east look more like the west. Later that night, we went for a drink at a local pub and my German friends showed me some of their favorite beers. First of all, AMAZING beer. Not too sweet, not too sour. Secondly, about 1/4 of the cost a beer in Paris would cost. I need to go back to Berlin for a beer tasting session I think. As well as find these beers in the states. And the second day, we didn’t do much other than sit by the “Spree” ( I think that’s how it is spelled) and talk and enjoy that perfect weather. It was a wonderful trip, just what I needed.

But getting home. These are the kind of things that make me want to return home ASAP. First, my plane was late. We ended up leaving an hour after we were supposed to. “Ok,” I thought, “no problem, I can still make it home on the train no problem.” I was wrong of course. I got back to the airport to find the first of three trains I needed to get home was out of service. So I had to take a bus, which was crammed to the brim with people trying to find a way around the train situation. Finally got to Paris where I had to take the Metro to a bus station. I caught the first night bus I could home which got me home at 2:45 in the morning. I should have been home no later than 12:30. But the airport staff decided that even though the train was down, they didn’t need to increase the buses or anything like that. Everyone will figure it out for themselves. In America or in England, if there was a public means of transportation that was out of service, another means would be offered. So, if the train is out, INCREASE IN BUSSES. Every 10 minutes instead of every half hour. People probably got home WAY later than I did. It makes me crazy sometime. But still a good trip and I made it home safely. :)

Sorry for the long post. This is why I need to post more often. Happy readings! And I would love to hear from any of you via e-mail or post! My mom has my new address. I’ll be coming home in just 100 days or so. See you all soon!

Sorry everyone. I have been very lazy about not keeping up on blogposts. I really am regretting that now as this was going to double somewhat as a diary. So lets recap, shall we?

I’ve been back in Paris, working for Disney for almost 2 months now. It’s been a very interesting experience seeing how both parks under the same name work completely differently. Both parks work differently for different reasons, but the main thing that each are trying to work with is labor laws. There is no end to labor laws in France, making it very difficult for them to try and run like any of the American parks. Not to mention the difference in work habits. But, all in all, I really love working for a company that I am proud to say I work for, in a country that I adore so much.

I’m currently living in the Disney dorms that they provide for us. There are 12 buildings in all, and they are basically just small apartments. They are small, but enough for 2 people to live comfortably in. I have lived with a Brit from London named Joe, and we have been getting along great. When I first got here, I swear most of the English people around me were speaking another language. Some of their accents were so thick and harsh, or lazy and slurred. A girl in my formation comes from a region in England called Liverpool, making her a skouser (i’ve been loving learning all these new regions and accents from places in Britain.) She has the thickest English accent I have ever heard. When we were still just getting to know each other, I was constantly asking her to repeat herself, or ask what she meant by a phrase she used. I swear she wasn’t always speaking English…. But, i’ve started to catch on to the different terminology and accents and such and it is SO cool. The English i’ve met are so stereotypically British most of the time, it makes me laugh. We were talking about the difference between British humor and American humor; you wouldn’t think there would be that big of a difference only because were both English speaking and have so many ties to each other. But they make jokes all the time that I just don’t get why they’re funny, and the other half of the time, they make jokes that are the funniest i’ve ever heard. They say they get our humor because of media. They watch a lot of our American tv series and movies. They get our humor and hear our accent all the time. My roommate is cast in a show right now in the Disneyland Pairs where they do a little show and then a meet and greet after. He doesn’t have to, but he puts on a southern American accent and it’s better than mine. It’s cool to hear how people from around the world have their eyes on us. When I was living in America, I never thought about the outside world too much. I thought about what was happening in New York and in Los Angeles. I thought about what national disasters were happening and about the latest celebrity gossip, but I never really thought about outside the American boarders. It makes sense, since we are a very large country, but I really see the lack of American’s knowledge with what is happening around the world right now. We just have so much happening all around us all the time. But being in a country like France, you’re forced to hear and see things that are going on around you because there is constantly people passing through. It’s just something I will try to stay aware of when I return home.

I live in the 5th zone from Paris, meaning it’s about 45 minutes via train outside the city. It’s not the closest place to me, but it’s doable to go on days off and what not. We’ve gone in for days like Bastille day and “La Fete de la Musique.” Both were astounding times in the city and great to see how a different culture likes to celebrate. While we were watching the Eiffel Tower light up and dance around to dramatic music, us loud americans were trying to take a photo together, and we were being a little loud. We got shushed multiple times by some French people. We probably should have been more quiet, but lots of other people were talking and making noise, but we were making the most noise I suppose. ANYWAY, they were trying to focus on the beautiful music and enjoy being proud of their country in such a dramatic way. Americans would have definitely done something more party oriented. I love where I live though, even if it isn’t in the city like I wished.

I’ve been learning a lot of roles at Disneyland and helping a lot of friends out. My day that I felt the best about myself was when I was helping Tigger out in the parade. The very first day he learned that choreography, they put him out to do the whole parade. I wish I could reenact how comical to see him wandering around without a clue of where he was supposed to be. It was all just jumbled in his mind I suppose, and he froze and forgot everything. When he got off the parade route, he was tired and grumpy and just felt like crying for feeling like he messed up the entire parade. But he didn’t. He cooled off and kept his chin up. He got to try again a few days later, and he did it absolutely perfectly. He was so bouncy that day and really enjoyed feeling confident in the choreography. He came off parade route and looked so proud and accomplished for dancing a whole parade with no problems. That was a fun day for both of us. And now, i’ve been getting to help out some other friends like my green army friends and pirate friends. I hope I have a day with them soon and i’ll post pictures of course. :) Off parade route, I got to help out Beast (Belle’s Prince) a couple weeks ago. That was a really fun time as well. Not much more I can say about it other than it was a good day for Beast and Belle.

My French is coming along alright. Like I said, i’ve mostly only met Brits since being here, so i’m speaking English 95% of the time. I have a couple French friends as well, but we usually speak English as well. I’m hoping once I get to spend more time with Beast, i’ll get the chance to speak with guests more and practice. I am really frustrated only because in my department, everyone speaks some level of English. Most of the costumers will speak to me in English even when I want to practice. But i’m trying to speak to them in only French even if they speak to me in English. It kind of helps. :3

Anyways, that’s a little of what’s been going on. I hope to hear from you all soon and i’ll try to start doing one post a week. :)